British Scandal
In a country obsessed with gossip, the great and the good fear one thing more than any other - scandal. British scandals change the course of history. They bring down governments, overthrow the rich and cause the mighty to fall. Some are about sex, others about money. In the end, they’re all about power. But often at the heart of a scandal, there are ordinary human stories. Stories of those caught up in the swirl of outrage. Who was really to blame for what happened? Why did they do it? And when all is said and done, did anything really change? From the creators of Business Wars, American Scandal and Ghost Story, comes British Scandal. Each week, hosts Alice Levine and Matt Forde delve into the murkier side of the British elite, from Phone Hacking to Profumo to the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss. Because sometimes the truth doesn’t set everyone free… New episodes come out every Wednesday for free, or 1-week early and ad-free for Wondery+ subscribers or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.
Episodes
In a country obsessed with gossip, the great and the good fear one thing more than any other - scandal.
British scandals change the course of history. They bring down governments, overthrow the rich and cause the mighty to fall. Some are about sex, others about money. In the end, they’re all about power.
But often at the heart of a scandal, there are ordinary human stories, stories of those caught up in the swi...
In the first episode of our four part series, Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko flees Moscow to live in exile in London, but he doesn’t know Russian agents are moving against him and there will be no billionaire to protect him.
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As Sashais dying of a mysterious illness, time is running out for the police to get crucial information about his attackers. The race is on to find out who poisoned him and why.
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Police at Scotland Yard realise they’re not only dealing with the murder of one man…London is facing a full scale nuclear incident.
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The Litvinenko investigation moves to Moscow. If British police want to interview their chief suspects, they’ll need to get co-operation from the Russian authorities.
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Alice and Matt talk to journalist and author Luke Harding about what The Litvinenko Affair means today. Luke Harding is a foreign correspondent with the Guardian. Between 2007 and 2011 he was the Guardian's Moscow bureau chief. The Kremlin expelled him from the country in the first case of its kind since the cold war. He is the author of A Very Expensive Poison -The Definitive Story of the Murder of Litvinenko and Rus...
UN Weapons Inspector David Kelly gets caught in the middle of a controversy over the British case for the Iraq War. He battles to save his reputation against warring factions in the government and the media.
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After tough questioning in Houses of Parliament, UN Weapons Inspector David Kelly goes missing.`
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The Hutton Inquiry investigates Dr Kelly’s death. The government’s battle with the media comes to a head. Who can the public trust to tell the truth?
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Alice and Matt talk to journalist Steve Richards about the impact of the sexed up dossier row and its legacy today. Steve Richards covered the Blair premiership as a political journalist during the 2000s. He has written about Tony Blair in his new book The Prime Ministers, and in Blair & Iraq: Why Tony Blair Went To War - An Investigation. He also presents the podcast Rock n Roll Politics.
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Two ambitious journalists Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson rise through the ranks of The News Of The World - Britain’s biggest sunday tabloid. But the culture of ‘dark arts‘ threatens to bring everything down.
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Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson become part of the British power elite. The victims of hacking start fighting back.
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The news breaks that murder victim Milly Dowler was hacked. It sparks a public outcry. Rebekah Brooks fights to hold on to her job while Rupert Murdoch arrives to try to contain the outrage.
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Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson face difficult questions in court. Will justice be done? And how will the inquiry affect the future of Britain’s media?
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The journalist who broke the phone hacking story, Nick Davies joins Alice and Matt to talk about its legacy today. In 2011, Nick Davies reported the key stories that revealed the extent of the ‘dark arts’ at Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers. He is the author of the best selling account: Hack Attack: How The Truth Caught up with Rupert Murdoch.
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Nick Leeson rises through the ranks of Barings Bank. When he moves to run the Singapore office, he notices a weakness in the system.
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The losses in Nick Leeson’s secret account start to get out of hand. It means he needs to start taking even more risks.
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...Barings Bank discover their most successful trader has left them penniless. The hunt is on to find Nick Leeson.
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How can one man bring down a bank? Financial Times journalist John Gapper covered the Nick Leeson story at the time and co-wrote All That Glitters: The Fall of Barings. He joins Alice and Matt to talk about the phenomenon of the Rogue Trader.
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Nineteen year old showgirl Christine Keeler meets the cabinet minister John Profumo at a high society pool party. It’s the beginning of their scandalous affair.
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